MEDWAY FOODBANK REPORT FOR PARISH VIRTUAL AGM ON SUNDAY 29th MARCH 2020
The Medway Foodbank is part of the Trussell Trust’s network of 428 foodbanks, working to tackle food poverty and hunger in local communities, as well as across the UK. The Trussell Trust Foodbank Network was founded in 2004 after four years of developing the original foodbank based in Salisbury. Since then The Trussell Trust has helped communities work together to launch foodbanks nationwide in a wide range of towns and cities. The organisation thinks that that nobody in our local community should have to face going hungry. So that’s why it provides three days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to them in a time of crisis. If you want more information on how the Medway Foodbank operates then please visit their website on: medway.foodbank.org.uk.
Aim of the Group: The Medway Foodbank can only operate properly with the support and generosity of local churches, schools and organisations who provide them with donations of food and other essential items throughout the year. Our donations during Lent, Harvest time and during Advent are always gratefully received at the Foodbank Warehouse.
What has been achieved? : I’m delighted to tell you that during 2019 our parishioners and schools donated 1.279 metric tonnes of food and essential items to Medway Foodbank. To donate over a tonne of food and essential items is a fantastic achievement! A HUGE THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR GENEROSITY AND KINDNESS TO THOSE IN NEED IN MEDWAY.
Hopes and plans for the coming year: In 2020 we will be collecting foodstuffs once again on the following dates:
| LENT | Lenten Foodbank shopping lists attached to newsletters March 14th/15th
Items donated from March 21st – March 29th 2020 |
| HARVEST | Harvest Foodbank shopping lists attached to newsletters October 3rd & 4th
Items donated from Oct 10th – October 18th 2020 |
| ADVENT | Winter Foodbank shopping lists attached to newsletters November 7th/8th
Items donated from November 14th – Nov 22nd 2020 |
I also hope that in 2020 the following things could develop:
- That we can encourage more parishioners to volunteer to help out locally at The Net Café on Thursday mornings (alongside volunteers from Pip and Jim’s Church.)
- That parishioners would be willing to sort out donations for a few hours when we have our special supermarket weekend collections twice a year.
- That our Church would be able to host one of the Medway Foodbank and Christians Against Poverty Prayer and Praise evenings in 2021.
Please contact Trisha Mineham on 01634 686774 for further details about volunteering at the Medway Foodbank
MEDWAY FOODBANK REPORT FOR PARISH AGM March 2022
The Medway Foodbank is part of the Trussell Trust’s network of 428 foodbanks, working to tackle food poverty and hunger in local communities. The Trussell Trust Foodbank Network was founded in 2004, since then they have helped communities work together to launch foodbanks nationwide in a wide range of towns and cities. The organisation thinks that that nobody in our local community should have to face going hungry. So that’s why it provides three days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to them in a time of crisis. If you want more information on how the Medway Foodbank operates then please visit their website on: medway.foodbank.org.uk.
Aim of the Group: Our church St. Simon Stock Walderslade has been supporting Medway Foodbank since 2017. Medway Foodbank aims to support local people who find themselves in a time of crisis. In the last two years of the Covid Pandemic, Medway Foodbank has seen a huge increase in the numbers of individuals and families who have needed to turn the Foodbank for help with food and everyday essentials. When the Covid 19 Pandemic started, the Foodbank had to change their ways of supporting people by delivering food parcels to clients in their homes to keep everyone safe in Covid times. Office and warehouse teams have continued to work all the time in small teams following strict Covid rules. They can only continue to do this very important local work with the generous help of churches, schools, businesses and other organisations within Medway.
What has been achieved?: I’m delighted to tell you that during 2021 our parish and two schools have donated £887.22 and 420.6kg of foodstuffs to Medway Foodbank. This is a remarkable achievement in a difficult year.
St. Simon Stock Church parishioners donated £519 in our Lenten church collection and £368.22 at Harvest time. In addition 122.6kg of food and essential items were also taken to the warehouse.
St. Thomas More School donated 211.8kg of items at Harvest time.
St. Benedict’s School: donated 86.2kg to Medway Foodbank at Harvest time.
Hopes and plans for the coming year: As we move out of the Covid Pandemic in 2022 Medway Foodbank intends to return to helping people by opening up their Foodbank centres all across the Medway Region once again. Home deliveries of food parcels will be stopping as clients return to our centres near where they live and once again we will be appealing for volunteers to help us in our important work. In 2022 the Foodbank warehouse are now once more able to receive donations of food and essential items from all individuals, churches and businesses as we did in pre-Covid times.
Please note the warehouse are continuing to use a ‘Booking In’ system for anyone who wants to drop off donations at the warehouse. Please ring the Foodbank Office on 01634 757057 to book a Dropping Off Slot on Tuesdays to Fridays or email the office on: info@medway.foodbank.org.uk
In 2022 Father Pawel has agreed for us to have the following collections:
| LENT | Lenten collection of food/essential items over weekend of March 26th/27th. Using March/April Shopping Lists |
| HARVEST | Harvest collection of food/essential items over the weekend of October 1st/2nd. Using current Shopping List. |
| ADVENT | No parish collections for Medway Foodbank during Advent but parishioners can donate Christmas foods in supermarket collection points or directly to the Foodbank warehouse. |
A HUGE THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR GENEROSITY AND KINDNESS TOWARDS THOSE IN NEED IN MEDWAY DURING 2021, OUR SECOND DIFFICULT YEAR IN COVID TIMES.
WE HAVE A GREAT TEAM OF PARISH FOODBANK SUPPORTERS WHO HELP TO COLLECT AND DELIVER DONATIONS TO THE WAREHOUSE AT UNIT 26 ON THE MEDWAY CITY ESTATE.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME, HELP AND GENEROUS SPIRIT.
Please contact Trisha Mineham on 01634 686774 if you would like to join our SSS Parish Medway Foodbank team of volunteers.